MPs and Protestors Call for RSE Legislation Reform

Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza during an interview with PA Media on College Green, in Westminster, London, on March 27, 2023. Yui Mok/PA

LONDON—Yesterday, a few-hundred strong group gathered in Parliament Square, to hear from MPs and demand change over Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) legislation in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Alongside other speakers, DUP MP Ian Paisley welcomed the crowd, which was mainly composed of parents and families, thanking them for coming to make their voices heard, and calling on the government to respect “parental rights.”

Lucia Thomas, a founding member of Public Child Protection Wales, who organised the event, told The Epoch Times that the protest aimed to raise awareness about relationships and sex education (RSE) in schools.

Mrs. Thomas stated that the main aim of the group is to inform parents and teachers who disagree with the curriculum to understand their rights.

In Wales, legislation means that parents cannot withdraw their children from compulsory RSE lessons in schools. In his speech, Mr. Paisley spoke of concern for a similar situation to arise in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Paisley said: “There’s been zero consultation, a government minister decided that he would set aside devolution, he will not ask for a consultation of the public either.

“And he would just introduce it over the heads of the people of Northern Ireland.”

‘Let Kids Be Kids’

Mr. Paisley added: “First of all, we need to have respect for the innocence of children. Let kids be kids.”

Speaking to The Epoch Times at the event, Mr. Paisley, the MP for North Antrim, said: “I’m here to do my job which is to speak out for the vulnerable and for the innocent.

“I want to make sure that the rights of children and protect the rights of parents are identified and protected.”

Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, also addressed the crowd, with an encouragement to keep growing a movement from the “ground up,” against legislation that may curtail the rights of parents.

Mr. Bridgen told The Epoch Times that he wasn’t confident that MPs in the Commons would treat the issue with full gravity. He advised people to focus more on building their concerns from the grassroots.

Mr. Bridgen said: “We’ve seen that from, from the way they treated my bill on the 27th of June … a bill that actually didn’t require any legislation … [just] the reinforcement of existing legislation and rules.”

In June, Mr. Bridgen introduced a bill in the House of Commons aimed at prohibiting the promotion of social transition practices in schools.

The bill sought to ensure that gender self-identification is not promoted in school curricula and that parents are informed if their child intends to pursue social transition.

It would also have granted parents the right to withdraw their children from sex education and access educational materials. Mr. Bridgen argued that gender ideology has been imposed on children systematically, leading to the blurring of “basic reality.”

He told the Commons at the time that his bill had aimed to protect children, reassure parents, and provide certainty to teachers.

Westminster ‘Can’t Be Relied On’

Pointing to The House of Commons, Mr. Bridgen added that, “They (his colleagues) can’t be relied on, so it’s going to have to come from the people.”

Mr. Bridgen added that, “there’s no one more protective or motivated than a concerned parent or grandparent.”

This comes as the children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, called for the urgent publication of transgender guidance for schools to ensure consistency in handling gender self-identification.

In a press release yesterday, she emphasised the need for fairness, clarity, and safeguarding in addressing this issue across England’s thousands of schools, saying that parents, pupils and teachers were “crying out for” guidance.

While draft guidance initially allowed children to socially transition with parental consent, recent discussions about banning this practice through legislation have taken place. The exact timeline for releasing the guidance remains uncertain.

Education unions have expressed frustration with the delays, emphasising the challenges faced by schools. Dame de Souza stressed the importance of safeguarding, consistency, and fairness in addressing this issue, given the diversity of England’s 23,000 schools.

Speaking on the issue of parental consent, Mrs. Thomas told The Epoch Times about her campaigning efforts in Wales, where her group facilitated a court case to maintain the parental opt-out provision in RSE legislation, but the case did not go in their favour.

Public ‘Need’ To Educate Themselves

Mrs. Thomas added that the public needed to educate themselves about the judgement in their case, which states that RSE should be balanced, factual, age-appropriate, and developmentally appropriate for each child.

While the group has had some interest from MPs, they have not found strong support within the Welsh Senedd.

Mrs. Thomas expressed gratitude for Conservative MP Robin Millar’s interest in their campaign and noted that they had received questions from other MPs about their concerns regarding RSE and its terminology.

One of their questions, seeking clarification about potential abuse of current terminology in RSE guidance, has been referred to the Department for Education for further clarification.

Speaking to the need for better safeguarding and care for children, Mr. Bridgen said: “They’re the future of our nation, everyone else’s nation.

“The sign of civilization is how you look after your children and your old people, on both ends of the spectrum. We’ve treated them appallingly quite honestly and that’s going to change.”

Children’s Commissioner Launches Campaign

In a separate development today, Dame de Souza launched a new campaign, entitled ‘The Big Ambition,’ to gather young people’s opinions on various issues, including poverty, education, and mental health support.

The campaign, a follow-up to its forerunner, ‘The Big Ask,’ aims to ensure that children’s voices are heard by the government, policymakers, and Parliament ahead of a general election.

The survey, distributed to 22,500 schools in England and various care settings, will also include parents’ input. Findings are expected next year, and the children’s commissioner plans to advocate for changes in political party manifestos based on the results.

Dame de Souza said: “When I talk to children and young people, they tell me how ambitious they are–for their futures, their careers, and for the economy.

“But too often, their voices are overlooked when it comes to decisions that will directly impact them for years to come.

“That’s why, I am launching The Big Ambition–to give children and young people a voice as we approach a General Election. I want to hear what they want Government to focus on, to make their lives and other children’s lives better.”